Plateau State Governor, Caleb Mutfwang, has assured residents that his administration remains firmly in control of the security situation in the state following the deadly attack on Zikke village in Bassa Local Government Area, which claimed the lives of over 50 people on Sunday night.
In a statement issued on Monday evening, the governor said that his government was closely monitoring the trend of violent attacks across Plateau and had already taken steps to respond to the latest incident.
“We have received detailed briefings from the heads of the various security agencies regarding the incident. We are working diligently to establish exactly what happened and why, so that we can respond appropriately and prevent such incidents in the future,” Mr Mutfwang said.
He confirmed that a security council meeting had been convened in response to the massacre and reiterated the government’s commitment to maintaining law and order.
“In the meantime, I want to reassure the people of Plateau State that we are firmly in control of the situation, and we will go to any length necessary to prevent a recurrence,” he added.
Governor Mutfwang also appealed to the affected community to resist any temptation to retaliate, warning that reprisals could further destabilise the already fragile peace in the area.
“We have engaged with the affected community, urging the people to remain calm and avoid any retaliatory actions that could further escalate tensions. We are grateful that the youths of the community listened to our appeal,” he said.
The governor’s statement came shortly after President Bola Tinubu issued a strong condemnation of the ongoing killings in Plateau State, describing the Zikke village attack as unacceptable.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Monday, the president expressed outrage over the Sunday night massacre that left over 50 people dead and urged the Plateau State Government to address the underlying causes of the persistent violence in the state.
